Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-06-03
A FRESH ARGUMENT FOR TEMPERANCE.
Reformed Mtssongerl


and most welghty: the waste of
property, the injury to health, the
desoIatlon of homes, the neglect
and cruelty to wives and children,
the misery and crime to which it
leads, and the shortening Of life,
which, it so often ends IN the hor-
rOrs of delIrium tremens.
But these fearful results, so fire.
quently and forcibly stated, too
often fail OF making the impression
they should make, both from their
generality and from our familiarity
with them. A fresh and striking
argument, and one which from its
morality and individuality, it would
seem all must feel, is given by DIR.
n. b. Richardson, a distinguished
physician of London, who says he
"was ME to convey a considerable
amount of conviction to an intelli-
gent scholar, by simple expert
ment, OF which in substance he
thus speaks:
The scholar, an intelligent young
man, was singing the praises Of
what he called the "Rudder Bump
err" saying he could not get through
the day without it, and that it gave
him strength and health, as well as
exhilaration, when DR., Richardson
said to him "Be good enough to
feel my pulse as l am standing
here y
The young man did so, counting
its beats carefully, and saying at
beats seventy-four."
The Doctor then sat down in a
chair, and asked him to count it
again. He did so and said at has
gone down to seventy"
The Doctor then laid down on
the lounge, and said, "Now count
/ itagain."
This the yOung man did, and in
surprise said "Why, it is only six
ty.four what an extraordinary
thing
The doctor then SAID "When you
lie down at night, that is the way
nature takes to give your heart
rest. You know nothing about it,
but your heart, that forever beat.
ing organ, is taking a rest, and if
you will but reckon it up, you will
find that it is a great deal Of rest,
for in lying down, the heart is doing
ten strokes less q minute than be.
fore. Multiply that by sixty, and
il is six hundred, and multiply that
by eight hours. and within a frac-
ton, it is five thousand strokes diff
/ ferent; and as the heart throws
some SIX ounces Of blood at every
/ stroke, it makes a difference Of
some thirty thousand ounces Of lift.
ing in a single night, or over six
/ hundred and eighty-four thousand
pounds every year, When l lie
down at night without any alcohol,
then my heart gets It's rest, and my
strength is renewed. But when
you take your wine or grog, you do
not get that rest, for the effect of
the alcohol is to increase the num-
Der of strokes, and instead Of get.
ting the rest which sleep is intend
ed to give, you force the heart to
some fifteen thousand extra strokes
IN a single night, and the result is,
that you rise up in the morning
comparatively weak, and unfit for
the next days work till you have
taken another drink Of 'ruddy
bumper which you seem to think
is source of strength and the life
of man below"
The young man acknowledged
that this must be so. He began to
reckon up the figures, and found
what it was to be lifting up so many
ounces so many thousand times, and
the result was that he became to-
tai abstinence man, with the great
est benefit to his health, and as he
admits, to his enjoyment Of life and
happiness.
If those who resort to stimulants,
as they say, to give them strength
and health, would but consider
I facts and statements like those thus
given above, would not multitudes
who now make use of intoxicating
drinks, give up their use forever (!